LITTLE BEAR EAST ARENA AND COMMUNITY CENTER

If you want to take the pulse of the St. Ignace community, hop on down to Little Bear East Arena and Community Center where you will find a cross-section of residents and visitors participating in recreational activities and business gatherings year-round. From its fitness center, exercise programs, special activities, NHL-sized ice rink, ample exhibition space, and convention room, Little Bear East has something going on seven days a week.

The on-site fitness center is open 365 days a year from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. And as well as an indoor walking track and weekly fitness classes, the arena also offers roller skating and pickleball. In addition to on-site recreational activities, Little Bear East maintains the city tennis courts on Spring Street and basketball courts on Lake Street and McCann Street.

The seasonal ice rink is up and running from October through mid-March, hosting youth hockey games, hockey tournaments, and open skating sessions. Locker rooms, a concession, and bleacher seating are available to players and fans.

And if you are looking for an unobstructed view of the Saturday night fireworks in downtown St. Ignace, the Little Bear East Arena parking lot provides a great vantage point. Fireworks run weekly July through August.

The arena is the site of many major events such as youth hockey tournaments, youth wrestling camps, banquets, concerts, wedding receptions, exhibitions, and business meetings throughout the year. The facility can accommodate large and small meetings and events with professional excellence. Its convention room offers 4,300 square feet and will comfortably hold up to 500 people, but if a smaller space is needed, the room can be divided into smaller two rooms. The arena’s exhibition space features 16,000 square feet, accommodating conventions, trade shows, concerts, or other large-scale events, including the St. Ignace Home Show in April and as the headquarters for the Antique Snowmobile Bridge Crossing event in December.

On the grounds of Little Bear East Arena and Community Center is Little Bear Sports Park. It features two softball diamonds, a fitness trail loop that circles the park’s pond and intersects with the North Country Trail, outdoor stretching equipment that is accessible year-around, and a fishing dock at the pond, which is stocked with perch and walleye. An on-site concession stand and restrooms are open only during sporting games and other special events.

Little Bear Arena also offers overnight parking for snowmobile trailers and their vehicles in its overflow parking lot across the street, which borders the city’s snowmobile trail. Cost is $10 per day for overnight use. A parking pay station is on site.

Directions:

From the west/US-2: Follow US-2 into St. Ignace, where it turns into State Street. Follow State Street through downtown St. Ignace, following signs for Little Bear East Arena. Turn left onto Marquette Street. The arena and community center are on the right after approximately one block.

From the north/east: Follow the I-75 Business Loop/State Street into St. Ignace following the Little Bear East Arena signs. Turn right onto Reagon Street. At the stop sign, turn left onto Ojibway Trail and then right onto Marquette Street. Little Bear East Arena is on the right.

For more information about Little Bear East Arena and Community Center and its programs and services, visit www.littlebeararena.com, Facebook, or call (906) 643-8676.